Cameras are capturing an increased dynamic range of image data, both through increased sensitivity of the sensors themselves, as well as via the use of multiple exposures. Automatic combination of several images taken over different intensity ranges is often performed as a high dynamic range (HDR) setting, even on consumer cameras. This enables a camera to capture high color resolution between the various color levels whether the levels correspond to shadows, mid-tones, or highlights. Such high dynamic range images contain more data than images having the traditional dynamic range. However, unless appropriate methods are used to encode and store the added information, some or all of the expanded image data is lost. The risk of data loss may become exacerbated when applying video effects that change the dynamic range temporarily while performing image processing tasks. There is a need for encoding and storage schemes that preserve the newly available detail throughout media editing workflows, while at the same time attempting to limit the associated increase in image storage requirements.